Commentary from a quarter-century old brain

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Complaining that I need a decent vacation on a frequent basis isn’t uncharacteristic of me.

Doing hours of research & planning to take a vacation but never taking one isn’t uncharacteristic of me.

Actually booking a vacation out of state that requires airfare however is uncharacteristic of me.

And after years of lamenting, I put my money where my mouth is and booked myself an honest to god vacation.

For workaholic, digital dependent, single, childless 27-year-old, the assumption this get away would be on a tropical island with sandy beaches and quiet.

Good guess, but no.

From September 21 through September 24, I’ll be romping around Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. By myself. And I can’t think of a time I’ve been more giddy about something unrelated to my career in over 8 years.

Whenever going through the news feeds on social media where friends shared their latest photos chugging Butter Beer or posing in front of Cinderella’s Castle, a twinge of jealousy stirred up. It seems like the perfect place to be in a constantly, uplifting atmosphere almost a break from the reality of life. Earlier this summer, the planning of a possible vacation to Disney World with others fell through, upsetting me more than it should have. Through some reflection (thank you 7+ years of therapy & Dr. R), it dawned on me how badly I wanted to experience this trip.

Since money was set aside for a vacation that had been promised to be taken for months, I reached out to my good friend Jen, who is a Magical Travel agent. After she did some research for me, it came out that going to WDW and Universal during mid-September was ideal for a number of reasons. With school in session, there are less families willing to pull their kids from classes that just started. So crowds and waiting times for rides are the much lower than other times of the year. Since the timing is considered off-peak, ticket prices and on-site hotel accommodations can be book through a frequent promotional deal. For under $975, I was able to book a round trip flight, stay at the All Star Movie Resort for 3 nights, purchase 3-park hopper tickets for WDW, 1-park hopper for Universal Studios, book a WDW dining plan (So right off the bat, the majority of my food is covered) and get a special night ticket for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

While I do love a good beach day and the ocean, it would end up being an anxiety nightmare for myself. Alone with my thoughts in the peace and quiet would lead to over analyzing everything in my life, especially if unlimited liquor was available.

And honestly, this is a rare point in my life where I am to go on vacation of my choosing alone without being considerate of anyone else.

This sounds selfish, but it is true. If I was with a boyfriend right now, he may not be so gung-ho to schedule a vacation that requires 8-10 miles of walking per day. Because I only have 4 days, each day requires an early morning wakeup call, all day and night at the park, with little if any time to lay by the pool. If I was going with a group of friends, I would surely have to compromise on some of my dining choices of fastpass options.

But with this trip, I have been able to make plans to eat at all of the places that appeal to me, make reservations for fastpass rides that I like (which doesn’t include The Tower of Terror or Rock and Roll Coaster because I’m a wimp). And what most people don’t know about me is that I am a huge cartoon nerd. Since I was a kid, I’ve loved studying how different characters are drawn, their progressions over the years, how the voice artists bring the character to life. And I can nerd out as hard core as I want here without being afraid of boring someone else.

Also, I’ve always loved everything about Disney. Being born in 1989, I was right in the prime time to grow up with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Lion King and Toy Story all before I reached 1st grade.

In fact, there are a few fun facts about my ongoing love with Disney

I celebrated my 7th birthday at WDW.

In high school I was in Beauty & the Beast (Tap dancing napkin #7) & Peter Pan (Curly the Lost Boy).

My nursery was decorated with a Baby Mickey theme from Dundee Baby.

My first movie theater experience was The Lion King.

I Just Can’t Wait to Be King was my Kindergarten class’s graduation song- St. Luke’s circa 1995.

I was Pocahontas for Halloween in 1st Grade.

Ariel has always been my favorite Disney Princess, with Belle being a close second.

Without a doubt, there will be times during the trip I wish someone was next to me to experience certain things, like seeing Hogwarts for the first time or the Epcot globe. But with social media, I can send pictures to friends and family members back home. As a photographer myself, I decided that this would be a great opportunity to actually be in photos of my own vacation, with the purchase of the Memory Maker.

This vacation is a treat to myself that allows me to take a much needed break from the constant stressors of life, and to spend time doing exactly what I want, when I want.

2016 has been a challenging year for me so far. Going no-contact with my mother, helping my father navigate his odd health problems that popped up out of nowhere, and loosing my grandmom all within five months of each other was an avalanche of heartache. And as much as I absolutely love my job, 40-50 hours each is spent working to produce content that others want to see. These are not things specific to my experience: anyone who has ever breathed has been through these stressors. As my father would say ‘that’s life”.

For four days I will not worry about if I am offending someone, making a good impression, outputting enough work, being considerate enough, being ambitious enough or being flexible enough. My only worries will be making it to my breakfast with Donald Duck on time and how long should i wait to ride the Flying Hippogriff after ingesting several Butter Beers.